Poor discipline has cost QPR admits Adel Taarabt
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Your support makes all the difference.Adel Taarabt thinks QPR would not be in the relegation zone if they had not thrown away points this season because of their poor disciplinary record.
Despite significant investment from their new billionaire owner Tony Fernandes, QPR are in serious danger of being relegated to the npower Championship just 12 months after their return to the top flight.
With eight incredibly tough fixtures to play, Rangers sit 18th in the Barclays Premier League, one place and one point from safety, and their predicament can partly be explained by their poor disciplinary record, which shows they have picked up six red cards and 43 yellows this season.
The only time the R's have salvaged something from a game when they had a player sent off was against Aston Villa, when they drew 1-1 thanks to a last-minute own goal from Richard Dunne.
Rangers have lost to Sunderland, Fulham, Norwich, and relegation rivals Wolves and Bolton when they have had players dismissed, something which clearly disappoints QPR midfielder Taarabt.
"I think we have performed at home but we've lost so many points because of red cards," he told QPR's website.
"We've lost so many games, like Norwich and Wolves. We should have won these games, but with 10 men it is difficult."
Taarabt, who is back in the team after falling out of favour under previous manager Neil Warnock, knows the odds are against his club surviving the drop.
Rangers have to face all the top five in their remaining games and they will have to do without star striker Djibril Cisse for the next four matches after he was sent off against Sunderland - his second dismissal since joining the Londoners at the end of January.
Rangers will have to be at their best to overcome Arsenal at Loftus Road on Saturday - Arsene Wenger's team have won their last seven league games - but Taarabt was encouraged to see his team topple Liverpool at home last week and is hopeful of another upset this weekend.
"It's going to be difficult but we have to give the fans another big performance," the Moroccan said.
"I feel better when we play at Loftus Road than I do when we play away.
"I feel the fans are really behind me. When we played against Liverpool they were fantastic - with me and the team as well.
"We need them, that's for sure, and I hope we can stay in this league.
"It's a difficult run-in, but every time we play a big club we perform.
"Hopefully we can do the same again (in the run-in).
"It is very important for us that we take three points on Saturday."
Rangers have received a timely boost with the news that top scorer Heidar Helguson could soon be back after missing the last two months with a groin injury.
Helguson, who has nine goals this term, has been involved in parts of first-team training this week while fellow striker DJ Campbell is available again after a two-month hamstring injury lay-off.
PA
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